an advise guide on your dog's basic health care

1. A Guide to your Dog’s Basic Health Care Needs
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

2. The Animal Welfare Act set’s 5 Welfare Needs for Animals, which every owner is legally obliged to
provide their pet with at anytime:
 A suitable Place to live
 A healthy Diet, including fresh Water
 To give the Ability to behave normally
 To give Ability for appropriate Company
 To protect from & to provide Treatment of Pain, Suffering, Injury & Disease
However, your dog’s full healthcare needs will also depend on the following factors:
• Your dog’s Breed
• your dog’s Age
• your dog’s current Health Status
• and any Medical Conditions your dog might have
It is therefore important to adapt your dog’s healthcare needs to your dog’s Health Care Cycle:
Your Dog’s Basic Health Care Needs
Health
Care
Cycle
Puppyhood
The energy requirement per unit of
bodyweight for a puppy is about
double as that of an adult of the
same breed. A high energy dense
and a highly digestible diet should
be provided during this phase.
Adolescence
Growth will continue,
albeit at a slower rate
until 12 to 24 months
of age, when the
bodyweight is
achieved.
Adulthood
Correct amount,
balance and availability
of nutrients need to be
provided to sustain
your dog’s physical and
mental health and
activity.
Senior-ship
Adequate food
which takes into
account the
particular needs of
the older animal
must be provided.
2
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

3. Fats
Fat is not only a great taste-enhancer for your dog’s
food, but it also supports the distribution of vitamins A,
D, E and K in your dog’s body. And did you know? Fats
are also essential to help your dog maintaining a healthy
skin & hair coat.
Carbohydrates
Untreated carbohydrates, dietary fibres and roughages
are usually difficult to digest for your dog. However,
cooked and crushed carbohydrates – as they are provided
in commercial dog foods – can benefit your dog’s
digestive system by management of constipation,
diarrhoea, diabetes & obesity.
Vitamins
To ensure the health of your dog’s eyesight, bone
formation & strength, reproduction, cell stability, blood
coagulation and many more, Vitamins are essential in
your dog’s diet. Hereby the correct amounts & ratios are
crucial – and don’t forget: Vitamin C does not need to be
additionally supplied as your dog’s body can produce it
itself!
Your Dog’s Basic Healthcare Needs
3
Nutrition
Ensure your dog’s food includes the following 6 Key Nutrients to provide it with a healthy and
balanced diet:
Proteins
Amino acids make up different ranges of Proteins of which 10 essential one’s need to be supplied
via your dog’s diet. Chose dog-food which contains so called “complete proteins” to ensure your
dog will be provided with the adequate and correct proportions of all essential amino acids. Plus
always remember to never over-feed on Proteins as they will be converted & stored as fat in your
dog’s body.
Minerals
There are over 20 different minerals that dogs need in different, sufficient & balanced
quantities. Most commercial dog foods include all minerals in the correct amounts; therefore a
deficiency is extremely unlikely as long as you provide your dog with good quality food.
Water
Yes! Water is a key nutrient for your dog’s diet and therefore it is essential that your dog always
has access to a fresh supply of drinking water. And remember: As for humans, water is not only
necessary for a dog, it is vital for life!
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

4. Your Dog’s Basic Healthcare Needs
4
Weight Management
To successfully establish and maintain your dog’s ideal weight, review your dog’s body condition
(you should be able to feel your dog’s ribs, spine and waist with an appropriate amount of tissue
between skin & bone) and take into consideration your dog’s daily activity levels. This will already
give you a good outline to identify if your dog is under- or overweight.
Take the following simple rules to heart which will help your pet sustain its ideal weight:
• Never feed your dog table scraps!
Did you know that 1 small cookie translates into the human equivalent of 1 hamburger?
• Stick to your dog food manufacturer’s recommended daily feeding guidelines
• Try to feed your dog smaller, regular meals and divide your dog’s food into small meals
• Build up gradually the amount of exercise your dog gets & make it fun
•S elect the right food – appropriately to your dog’s body condition, age, size & health status!
• AND continue monitoring your dog’s weight on a regular basis
On the other hand, when you experience that your dog seems to suddenly and rapidly loses a
significant amount of its weight, contact a vet immediately!
Health Checks
Checking your dog’s health on a regular basis is a must! Therefore, we
advise you to check your dog at least once per week carefully and
systematically for possible signs of illness.
This routine should include grooming of your dog’s fur and cleaning of the
ears, eyes and teeth. Use these sessions also to palpate your dog for any
signs of ticks, fleas or any painful reactions.
Also, don’t forget to book an appointment for a veterinary check-up, at
least once per year, for a thorough check on general health condition as
well as for its yearly single booster injection against common viruses &
diseases.
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

5. Your Dog’s Basic Healthcare Needs
5
Vaccinations
Puppies are usually vaccinated at 8 to 10 weeks and should then receive regular boosters every 12
months after their first vaccination. These vaccinations will ensure your dog is protected against
infectious diseases like the canine parovirus, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis and infectious
canine hepatitis. And if you plan on travelling abroad, ensure your dog will be additionally
vaccinated against rabies!
Worming
As dogs can pick up worms in various ways and even healthy looking pets can carry them, it is very
important to apply a regular worming program on a three-monthly basis. These so called
anthelmintic therapies come in various preparations incl. tablets, liquids, granules and spot-on.
To guarantee the appropriate treatment, tailored to your dog’s specific needs and health status,
please contact us for an appointment!
Dental Care
There are many toys, treats and special foods available which are all designed to help with your
dog’s dental care. However, regular brushing is still the most effective way to maintain your dog’s
oral health. As dogs have long & flexible tongues that already clean most of the inside of their
teeth, brushing is mainly needed at the outside of the teeth.
Try to train your dog accepting the brushing procedure from an early age onwards, but don’t
worry – with the right reward training, older dogs can soon accept & enjoy a regular brushing
experience as well!
Flea Treatment
So called adulticides are used to take out adult fleas – usually within 24 hours. But, as fleas can
breed and lay eggs very quickly, adulticides should always be used in combination with insect
growth regulators, spot-ons and/ or household sprays which are specifically designed to prevent
flea eggs from hatching. Furthermore there are a wide range of oral products and injectable flea
control treatments on the market. Please contact us to discuss the best flea treatment option for
your pet.
Also, remember to treat every animal in the house as soon as you realise fleas on any of your pets
and always follow the instructions on the package leaflet!
Neutering
You probably heard before that neutering may be beneficial for various different reasons. But
there can be more to it than simply preventing pregnancies and overpopulation of unwanted
animals in the rescue system: Neutering can prolong your pet’s life & reduce the number of
health problems in later life prevents female animals coming into season and have false
pregnancies can reduce the incidence of uterine, mammary, and ovarian cancers as well as
hernias and infections reduces the risk of prostate and testicular cancer
Spaying and castrations are carried out under general anaesthetic and most animals recover very
quickly from the operation and – against widely held belief – without any character changes.
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

6. Your Dog’s Basic Healthcare Needs
6
... And What about ... ?
Micro-chipping
Micro-chipping is recognised to be the most effective and secure way of permanently identifying a
pet. This, very small, electronic device is coded with a unique identification number and injected
under your dog’s skin with a sterile needle. But don’t worry! The procedure does usually not
cause any more discomfort than a standard vaccination. The chip can then be scanned and the
unique identification number is linked to the owner’s address in a national database.
Insurance
Statistics show that 2 out of 3 pets require veterinary treatment every year – and the resulting
bills can make up to 30% of the total cost of owning a dog over its lifetime...
In addition to this, there are many other ways that your dog could cost you money. Therefore we
strongly recommend comprehensive dog insurance that will help you cover not only veterinary
treatments, but also costs such as hospitalization fees or if your dog causes damage to someone
else’s property.
Copyright © Dogswish™. 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.dogswish.co.uk

7. Your Dog’s Basic Healthcare Needs
7
Dogswish™
Pia Offord Dip.dog.psy.MOC.MSFTR
The founder of Dogswish™, Pia Offord, grew up with 7 Siberian Huskies, parents who were highly
engaged in dog agility and a father who served as a professional dog-handler within the guard-and
security business and could therefore gain prominent knowledge and interest in canine
behaviourism already from a young age.
Voluntary work in veterinary practices and kennels helped her to develop an excellent in-depth
view in behaviour management as well as in basic animal handling & medical care.
Her passion for animals, people and experience gained from years of leadership, including
management, training and development of staff, helped Pia to understand basic learning abilities
and approaches, which are closely linked between human as well as canine / feline creatures,
and encourage her to consistently study this specific field further.
Contact
Dogswish™
Caterways
Brighton Road
Horsham
West Sussex – UK
RH13 6PP
Tel: +44 (0) 140 389 1821
Fax: +44 (0) 872 111 3554
E-mail dogswish@dogswish.co.uk
Web site http://www.dogswish.co.uk
Blog http://dogswish.wordpress.com
Our aim at Dogswish™ is to develop the knowledge and understanding of dog-owners relating to
their dogs behaviours and help them to achieve a balanced, happy and fulfilled life together.
All contents Copyright © 2012 Dogswish™. All rights reserved worldwide.
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