Ensuring your dog's health is taken care of doesn't have to be complicated. Along with giving them plenty of love, simply follow these 6 tips from our San Jose vets to keep your dog healthy.
Your Dog's Health
You love your dog and would do anything for your furry family member. It's likely not news to any caring pet owner that your pooch's health is a big responsibility that lasts for your dog's entire lifespan.
However, caring for your pooch's health doesn't have to be complicated. You'll simply need to keep doing what you are now - focus on giving your best friend lots of love and practicing these 6 easy steps to help prevent health problems from developing into longer-term issues.
1. Assess Your Dog's Nutritional & Dietary Needs
The quality of your dog's food is an important factor in its health and well-being. To help keep your canine companion healthy, ask your vet about the best foods for your dog based on their age, breed, and lifestyle. Your veterinarian can help you find the right food to meet your pup's nutritional requirements.
Whether you're aiming to feed your dog the best food available to help them achieve their ideal health or need to manage existing health conditions with special food, booking a nutritional consultation with your veterinarian at our San Jose animal hospital can help you make those important decisions.
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2. Help Your Dog Get Plenty of Exercises
Different dog breeds will have different exercise needs. While some dogs will only require a quick walk around the block to stay healthy, high-energy breeds might need an hour or more of vigorous exercise once or twice every day. Getting enough physical activity not only helps keep your dog's body in good condition (including their joints), but it also supports mental and emotional health, helping to prevent boredom that can lead to anxiety or destructive behaviors.
Ask your vet or breeder about how much exercise your dog will need. Playing games in your backyard, taking them for walks, and bringing them to a park or other dog-friendly space for social time are all excellent ways to make sure your pooch gets the exercise they need to look and feel their best.
3. Help Your Dog Maintain a Healthy Weight
Because obesity can lead to several serious health conditions for dogs (including diabetes and joint pain), making sure your dog remains at a healthy weight is vital to their general health. Once you've created a nutritious diet plan for your pooch, your vet can calculate the ideal number of calories your dog should consume each day. Once you understand how many calories your dog should eat, you can easily work out how much food your dog should have for each meal.
4. Take Your Dog for Annual Routine Exams
Diagnosing and treating conditions in the very earliest stages helps to ensure the very best treatment outcomes. Annual veterinary exams, when your dog seems healthy, are all about prevention, monitoring your pet's overall health, and checking for early signs of developing issues.
Your vet at our San Jose pet hospital will discuss your dog's diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors with you, ask if you have any concerns about your pet's health or behavior, then perform a comprehensive physical examination. Once the exam is complete your veterinarian will discuss any findings with you. If anything concerning has been detected your vet will make recommendations regarding diet, diagnostic testing, or treatment.
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5. Keep Vaccinations Up-To-Date
The vets at our San Jose veterinary clinic believe that vaccinations are essential for helping your pet live a long and healthy life. Regularly scheduled vaccines help to protect your dog from many highly contagious, potentially life-threatening diseases. Most states require by law that all pets be vaccinated against rabies, but there are several other serious conditions that vaccines protect dogs against including parvo, distemper, and panleukopenia.
Find Our Dog Vaccine Schedule Here
6. Provide Parasite Prevention
Ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes can all carry organisms that lead to a range of diseases that seriously threaten the health and longevity of your dog. A bite from one of these parasites could cause your dog to become gravely ill if not protected. Speak to your vet at Bloom Plaza Animal Hospital about the most effective ways to protect your pooch against a full range of tick-borne diseases, heartworms, and other parasitic conditions common in your area.