There are many reasons why most people choose to have dogs as pets. Aside from being the man’s best friend, dogs can be your guard, accompany you in hunting, swimming and the lot. In addition, the kindest and most responsible thing you could ever do to repay your dog’s loyalty and care is to at least know what he is going through by providing him a proper health care. Regular veterinary visit would not be a problem especially if you have the best dog insurance on your side. Nonetheless, it is more convenient for you to be informative on possible preventions and cures to the common diseases your dog comrade might have.

Dog Insurance

Nowadays, many fatal and serious diseases are prevented by giving vaccines. Vaccination is a process of giving preformed antibodies that are normally absent in the body to stimulate the immune system so that when antigens (infectious foreign agent) start to invade the body, these antibodies could fight it off and inhibit the occurrence of the possible disease dealt by the said antigens. However, it is also undeniable that certain side effects could occur in the animal’s body after the vaccination.

This includes muscle and joint pain, low-rate fever, vomiting, over sleeping and eating less. However, this could be prevented by giving them antihistamine upon vaccination. In addition, yearly vaccination is not needed anymore since immunity to viruses could persist for years or even up to the entire lifespan of the pet.

Dog Treatment

This fact has been pointed out recently by immunologists that insist that the immune system contains certain memory cell (the T cells) that gets familiar with the antigens they previously encountered and immediately form a defence mechanism whenever the same antigens are detected in the body. This “getting-familiar-with” activity of memory cells lasts long that yearly vaccination, as pointed out earlier, is not needed anymore.

It is proper and important to note that deworming always go before vaccination and is usually done when the puppy is already twenty days old. This is because the dog’s body will not respond to any vaccinations if he already has internal parasites. It may lead to some gastrointestinal problems, severe illnesses and immunocompromised diseases that would possibly take the animal’s life. Plus the fact that humans could also be infected by the parasites, pets have.

Bear also in mind that deworming is always done with the guidance of a veterinarian because many factors are to be considered when deworming a puppy. These include the pet’s age, weight, coat and skin situation, and if there are other animal pets living with him. Faecal examination on the pet’s stool is also vital for the veterinarian to know if parasites are indeed present in the puppy’s body and proper deworming medicines could be given.

Aside from getting rid of the internal parasites, pet owners should also be aware of the external parasites like ticks, fleas, lice, mange mites and ear mites that cause not only skin irritation but also some diseases, which, again, could infect humans. These parasites feed on a dog’s tissue fluids, sucking their blood, and transmit various infectious antigens, skin wounds leading to secondary infections, which would then lead to death.

Under a veterinarian’s keen observation, these external parasites could be detected and eliminated. However, external parasite infestation could be prevented by not only treating the pet but also its environment. Doghouse fumigation would be first on the list following the places where your dog hangs out and regular application of antiparasitic powder would probably help do the job.

In order to have a proper care and comfort to your dogs, you must have the initiative to be knowledgeable about their sickness and struggles. You must be aware of certain serious situations concerning your dog and be able to do preventive measures. Show some love to your pet by being perceptive.