Dogs easily take the best place in our house and our hearts.

We want our four-legged companion to live as long as we live.

The most important rule is to prioritize your dog’s health and pay attention to them to detect any symptoms of a disease and eliminate them at the very beginning.

A dog symptom checker comes in very handy to monitor the health of this furry friend of yours.

Feed the Dog Quality Food

When we talk about dog food, there are more options available than we think.

• Dog Kibble: Dry food or kibble are preferred by dog owners as it is convenient to feed kibble if you have a busy schedule. However, these foods are high in sodium and starch which are not at all good for your dog’s liver or its overall health. One solution is to check for the ingredients list while buying dry food for your dog. It is also recommended to give a combination of dry and wet food.
• Wet food: Wet food remains unaffected by microorganisms till the time the product is opened. These foods contain preservatives that are not good for your dog’s health.
• Raw diet: This diet includes raw or uncooked meat or other proteins. Experts often warn that an unbalanced diet of raw food can negatively affect the health of your dog. Uncooked meals have lots of microorganisms residing in them which can easily become a parasite to your dog and cause various bacterial, and protozoal infections in the digestive and urinary tract of your dog.
• Home Cooked meal: Freshly cooked meals are always preferred over packaged foods. Doctors like Dr. Jean Dodds recommend a diet that should consist of 50% meat or other proteins and 50% carbohydrates or less. It is also recommended to add a multivitamin source to the diet of your dog.

Pay Attention to Symptoms of the Dog

Dogs unlike humans cannot convey their discomfort therefore it becomes difficult for us to track their health.

Canine diseases are not asymptotic, so we need to pay close attention to our dogs and look for symptoms that indicate disease.

Here are some pointers for a dog symptom checker:

• Weight loss: Sudden unexplained weight loss is a serious symptom indicating that the health of the dog is deteriorating.
• Loss of Appetite: This is an early symptom indicating the presence of a disease in a dog. A food-motivated dog can completely stop eating due to a disease. This should not be ignored.
• Poor Skin: Itching, blemishes, and dry skin can be indicative of hormonal problems in a dog.
• Noticeable behavioral changes: One of the earliest symptoms of any disease is behavioral change in the dog. A dog when sick tends to change their normal behavior like a friendly dog may suddenly start showing aggression.

If we fail to acknowledge these early symptoms, a disease can complicate itself and sometimes beyond repair.

Take a Daily Walk Together

An article by Krista Williams (BSc., DVM, CCRP) and Lynn Buzhardt (DVM) mentions several health benefits of walking your dog. 

These benefits include but are not limited to overall metabolic health.

Regular walks are known to improve digestive and urinary health by allowing feces and urine to be let out at regular intervals.

Walking is a great exercise that helps improve metabolism power and bone strength in growing puppies and dogs.

Clean Your Dog’s Ears Properly

It is important to know that ear cleaning must be an essential part of your dog’s grooming routine.

Failing to clean your dog’s ear regularly can cause several problems like ear mites and infections.

Although overcleaning can also irritate, ear wax that is produced inside the canal is important to trap germs.

Some breeds like spaniels and beagles need more frequent cleaning due to their long years that touch the ground and pick up numerous parasites.

Otitis media, a bacterial or viral infection of the middle ear is a common infection in dogs.

As per a recent report otitis media affect 50 to 90 percent of dogs.

Maintain your Dog’s Teeth

According to recent surveys, periodontal disease affects a large number of adult dogs, almost 80% in the US alone.

Periodontal disease causes inflammation of the periodontium, in simple words swelling of the gums.

This happens due to bacterial infection and plaque.

Bacterial infections and plaques can easily be avoided by regular cleaning of your dog teeth.

Like humans, brushing teeth is the most essential requirement for keeping the teeth healthy.

Conclusion

Many factors matter when it comes to the health of our dog.

We need to be observant of their little changes be it of behavior, appetite, or something else.

These little symptoms that we observe should be immediately consulted with our vet.

Only then would we be able to detect symptoms of diseases at an early stage and prevent our dog from suffering.