Better safe than sorry,” they constantly tell us humans, but it’s equally valid for our dog friends. That’s why we’re going to try to detail our recommendations for caring for a dog that need to be done every year.
Table of Contents
Annual Vaccination for Dogs
For more details on vaccines for dogs, read Dog Vaccines. You should vaccinate your dog annually to prevent serious diseases.
Recommended Vaccine Reminders
- 1 x Polyvalent (Tetravalent if administered alone or Hexavalent along with Rabies)
- 1 x Rabies
In addition to these general recommendations, we must consider other factors that may require the administration of other vaccines:
- Travel: Legislation in other countries or even some diseases may require other vaccines. Inform yourself beforehand and consult your veterinarian if you have any doubts.
- Boarding kennels: If you are going to leave your dog in boarding kennels, it is advisable, and in many cases, it will be mandatory to vaccinate your dog against kennel cough (infectious rhinotracheitis or tracheobronchitis).
- Close contact with animals of other species: In these cases, it is prudent to consult the veterinarian, as some species carry viruses that do not affect them but can make your dog sick.
Deworming
Internal Deworming
We should use a specific antiparasitic according to their age and breed.
Every year, we will deworm our dogs every 2-3 months (there may be variations depending on where they live, their walking habits, family members with vulnerable health…)
External Deworming
There is a wide range of antiparasitics, but in any case, our animal must be covered against:
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Phlebotomus
In addition to causing itching, they transmit serious diseases such as Leishmaniasis, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, among others.
These parasites do not have seasonality, so they must be protected all year round.
We have many types of antiparasitics such as collars, pipettes, chewable tablets, and sprays. There is no one better than the other, and choosing one or the other will depend on the size, type of life and activity (dogs that bathe often, that bite collars…), type of hair, animals they live with…
Check-up
After prevention, the best way to avoid admissions for serious illnesses is early detection. That’s why we recommend an annual check-up.
Follow-up
Finally, we want to detail a series of actions that will help us detect possible diseases early:
- Be attentive to changes in behavior or mood. Very often, they are related to some ailment.
- Be attentive to their appetite and report if the lack of appetite lasts more than one meal.
- Be attentive to their stools and report to the veterinarian if an episode of diarrhea lasts more than 1 day.
- Periodically check the skin for lumps, wounds, or other anomalies.
- Check recent wounds daily to ensure they do not become infected.
IMPORTANT: all of these are general guidelines, but each animal and each family is different. That’s why we recommend that you contact a veterinarian if you have any doubts.
