You love your four legged furry friend, your pup has become part of your family. So it is only natural then that you want to do everything possible to make sure that they enjoy a happy and healthy life. Here we are going to give you the top ten tips on how to keep your dog healthy.

10. Recognize when your pet is “old.” When a dog is considered old depends on their breed and their size. A small breed dog, one the weighs less then 20 pounds are considered senior at 9 years of age. Medium sized dogs are considered senior when they are about 10 years old. Large dogs, those that weigh 51 to 90 pounds are considered seniors around the age of 8 to 10 years of age. Giant dogs, 90 pounds or more, are considered seniors by the time the reach about 7 to 9 years of age. The smaller the breed of dog the longer they live.

9. Mental Stimulation – make sure that you play with your dog. Make sure that they have toys to play with. Just as you are never to old to play, neither is your dog.

8. Exercise – proper exercise is important to help maintain a healthy body. Exercise will also help slow the aging process, by strengthening muscles, bones and joints.

7. Weight Control – overweight dogs have a shorter life expectancy. Plus being overweight can lead to a number of other health problems. All that weight can also make it difficult for you dog to run, play and enjoy life.

6. Nutrition – know what your dog is eating. Make sure that you are providing the best possible nutrition for your dog. Make sure that you are over doing it on treats, and that you are feeding them correct portion sizes.

5. Wellness Exams – it is always better to prevent then it is to treat. Make sure that you are taking your dog to their regular schedule checkups. This way your dog’s growth and health and being documented and kept track of. Plus this also gives you an opportunity to talk with your vet about what you should be watching for as your pet ages.

4. Stay on top of illnesses – pay attention to your dog. Dogs are one the best at hiding when they are sick. This is their natural instinctive behavior. Pay attention to the amount of water they are drinking, how often they are urinating, weight gain or loss, appetite changes, coughing or other breathing issues.

3. Monitor your dogs environment – make sure that you are paying attention to the changes in their environment that could pose potential health risks to them. Make sure that toxins are out of their reach.

2. Know where your dog is. It is just not a good idea to let them roam freely. Make sure that they are staying in your yard under your watchful eye. Dogs that are allowed to roam freely have a shorter life expectancy then dogs that do not roam freely. Would you let your child roam the neighborhood on their own?

1. Get your pet spayed or neutered. Simple fact, pets that are spayed or neutered a have fewer health problems. They are also more playful and affectionate once they are neutered or spayed. They are also less likely to roam once they have had this surgical procedure done.

Tags: commercial dog food, homemade dog food, dog health, pet, holistic dog food, dogs, pets, dog

Tags: dog, Dog Health, healthy dog, healthy pet, pet, pet health, pets

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 7:58 am and is filed under Dog Health, Dog Info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.