The duty of every dog owner - to observe the health of your pet, which is not very difficult: our four-legged friend - animal strong and hardy. One look every morning to find out whether in the form of a dog. A healthy dog fur glossy, cold nose, eyes shining (third eyelid is not visible), a good appetite, behavior and joyful living.
At the slightest sign of illness should consult a veterinarian. Consider now some very simple rules for maintaining the health of the dog.

-Do not force your dog to lie close to the stove or heating running.

-Do not put a dog clothing when taking a walk, because nature has taken care of its protection from the winter cold, giving her thick coat. (The exception is the dwarf breed, and dogs recovering patients.)

-The growth of the wool in the cold season favors proper nutrition, based mainly on meat.

-When you return after a walk, dogs with long hair just dried belly and paws. Moisture on the outer surface of the dog is released wool shaking. At the same time, if the wool is strongly rubbing, moisture can move to the undercoat.

-Remember that a healthy dog ??loves the snow. Many dogs love the water so they do not want to give up swimming, even in winter, and are able to rush into the icy water. We are talking about the animals, the most healthy and hardy, which may well move is fun, after it is necessary to dry the dog's coat with the maximum accuracy and make it move actively.

-On hot summer days, never leave your friend's exposed to direct rays of the sun, find a place for him in the shadows, where he can relax. In the hot season there are many opportunities for dogs to swim and swim, that its very refresh.

-When a dog is hot, do not let the cold water; better that she set foot in a running water fountain or a stream.

-Summer dog (which has no sweat glands in the skin) is cooled via the oral mucosa. At the same time it has a strong salivation begins, it is absolutely not an alarming symptom. However, it should be a lot of attention to the dog at the time and not to leave it in the sun for a long time, it can even lead to death. When in the heat of the dog is in the open air, it is possible to thoroughly wet the head or give the opportunity to enter into the water to cool off.


The fight against parasites

Summer - a parade of insects and therefore parasites. Ticks and fleas are a nuisance and dangerous dog for her, so it is necessary to release her from them as soon as you learn of their presence. Dogs who live far from the city, running through the fields and forests, often bring home mites: these small arthropods, reaching the size of a pea, dig into the skin of the animal to suck blood. In no case can not be separated them, as many do, because in this way we remove only the body, while the head remains deep in the skin. This may lead to infection from entering into the body.

To cope with the mite, it is necessary to drip on the body of an insect or a drop of oil salt water. From contact with such substances skukozhivaetsya tick slowly and disappears after a few hours away from the skin.

One of the most common parasites found in dogs - a flea. Fortunately, the dog fleas do not pass to humans as pets eat only blood. Fleas are much more dangerous for dogs than is commonly believed. They carry the worms. The dog is enough to crush a flea teeth to swallow tapeworm eggs (Dipulidium caninum). Therefore, you must examine your dog regularly, especially in August and September, when many fleas. These parasites prefer individuals with long hair and leave them only after a strong disinfectant.

To start the hunt for fleas, we must know the places of their concentration: it is the ears, belly, chest, armpits. The presence of fleas is determined by the typical black marks on the body of the animal. Release the dog from parasites can use the wonderful facilities available in the market. These substances are purified animals over several weeks, being practically harmless. Since fleas multiply not on the dog, but only in the cracks of the kennel or gender, our attention should be directed to the guidance of cleanliness in the kennel, kennel, crate or basket where the dog is resting, and especially in the room where the dog sleeps.

Sex should be washed with the addition of disinfectants. Mats and rugs on which the sleeping dog should be washed with hot water and sprinkle substances acting against parasites. Before applying these prophylactic agents are advised to consult with your veterinarian.

Worms

Puppies often observed invasion (invasion of Ascaris, white cylindrical worms of a few centimeters, which live in the intestine length). Worms and their eggs can be seen in the feces. In the puppy infected with these parasites, usually expanded stomach and diarrhea.

Worms kicked out by the means recommended by a veterinarian, in certain doses, and usually without any consequences for the puppy. Of course, not all puppies are exposed to invasion of Ascaris; if they are born of mothers with no worms, and are grown in a clean place, parasites, they will not.

Tapeworm

Solitaire (Dipylldium glanders / pit) does not cause any disorders in dogs, with the exception of diarrhea. This parasite is easily identified by a small fragment of the tapeworm body, white and movable, which are observed in the faeces and the dog near the anal opening.

With deworming products recommended by your veterinarian, the tapeworm can be destroyed, but to the dog caught again, you need to free it from fleas, peddlers of parasite eggs. The dog can not convey the human tapeworm; People can become infected, but swallowing a flea infestation.

The symptoms of some diseases

Poor appetite may simply be associated with over-eating, and in this case, remember the phrase "hunger - the best cook." One or two days of fasting will not harm the dog, on the contrary. Some owners tend to arrange their wards once a week fasting days, giving just a little light food. Such discharge day specially appointed for the elderly and obese dogs.

Some dogs like to eat rotten leftovers, which leads to disruption of appetite and vomiting. In this case, the dog must be kept under control so that it does not eat rotten food and feces of other animals. - Eye diseases are very common in dogs. When it comes to simple infections, enough morning eyewash infusion of chamomile or eye drops. If these do not help, you should contact your veterinarian.

discharge of mucus from the nose can be a symptom of the common cold, but sometimes it is preceded by distemper. A sick dog to keep warm and to consult with your veterinarian.

Diseases of the skin most often linked to improper diet. Food containing excessive amounts of rice, and strongly flavored foods provoke the appearance of eczema. Seasonings, sausages and sweets (especially chocolate) should be excluded from the dog's diet. In the case of the ongoing itching animal must be brought to the vet.

If the dog shakes its head and scratches behind the ears, perhaps, to put it in the ear mites. Invasion of ear mites - a common problem dogs living in the kennel, but these parasites can be got and animals living in the apartment, in any case, the problem can be easily solved.

If a dog has diarrhea, this may be due to poor nutrition, as well as a symptom of worms invasion or infection by intestinal bacteria or viruses. If diarrhea is profuse and lasts more than one day, you should contact your veterinarian. Release the dog from parasites can use the wonderful facilities available in the market. These substances are purified animals over several weeks, being practically harmless.

Since fleas multiply not on the dog, but only in the cracks of the kennel or gender, our attention should be directed to the guidance of cleanliness in the kennel, kennel, crate or basket where the dog is resting, and especially in the room where the dog sleeps. Sex should be washed with the addition of disinfectants. Mats and rugs on which the sleeping dog should be washed with hot water and sprinkle substances acting against parasites. Before applying these prophylactic agents are advised to consult with your veterinarian.

Chumka

This is a very serious disease that usually leads to death or paralysis. The cause of the disease - a virus. First manifested symptoms of a cold, watery eyes, diarrhea and exhaustion, followed by a serious breakdown.

Puppies are particularly vulnerable: hence, vaccination is important and necessary that the puppies had no contact with other dogs, and with the external environment, where unvaccinated dogs live until the cycle is not yet finished vaccination. In any case, if there are symptoms in a dog, as defined herein, it is better to take her to a veterinarian, even if vaccinated.

Volvulus is a very difficult clinical case provoked by the fact that, filling the stomach, the dog was moving too fast. If this happens, you should immediately call the vet, and quickly expose the dog to surgery - a little late and the dog dies. Volvulus often occurs in large dogs, beginners frolic immediately after a heavy meal.

To prevent bloat, it is necessary to divide the daily ration into 2 or 3 doses and to avoid that the dog ran or played an active earlier than 2-3 hours after a meal.

Heatstroke

Breeders and veterinarians do not get tired of repeating that in summer the dog can not be left in a parked car with the windows closed and without water (it is even worse than in the sun). Victims of heat or heat stroke may also be a dog sitting on a chain in the sun, if they have a small kennel, inside which the temperature is very high, and there is no place in the shade where you can relax and catch your breath.

On the beach, if you do not have an umbrella over the dog, she is also in danger. Dog under the influence of heat exhaustion becomes weak, releases saliva and sticks out his tongue, which later becomes pink blue.

To help the dog, can stimulate blood circulation, making the massage of legs. If you want, you need to apply artificial respiration. It should be wet hair with cold water, then dry it and leave the animal to rest in a cool place, putting a number of vessels with drinking water.

Sometimes the temperature begins to rise again (normal temperature of the dog's body about 38.5 ° C), in the early heat stroke, although the dog seems to be fully recovered, and in this case, you should call the vet.

Toxoplasmosis

A person can become infected with toxoplasmosis by touching cat feces, eating raw or poorly cooked meat from infected animals or poorly washed raw vegetables. Dog sick by eating contaminated meat or cat feces. It can not infect a human, as a person can infect another. The fact that the cat - the definitive host of Toxoplasma and allocates it to the feces, man and dog - intermediate hosts.

Rabies

If breeders follow simple hygiene rules, they will never get from your dog. Treatises hygienists list of at least 30 diseases that the dog can transmit to man, but this list is purely theoretical. In fact, the dog can transmit to man two diseases: rabies and echinococcus.
Here are some basic observations regarding rabies.

-Rabies can occur spontaneously as distemper, typhoid and other infectious diseases. To be ill with rabies, the dog must be bitten by another infected animal (dog, cat, wolf, fox, bat or rodent).

-If you suspect that the dog is sick with rabies, it is not necessary to kill, unfortunately, many do. If the dog is dead, it is difficult to establish whether she was ill.

-If a person is bitten by a dog suspected of rabies, the animal must be isolated in the kennel, in a room, in short, in a place where it can not be removed. If she will live 15 days after the bite, we can say that it was not rabid. If you die, a veterinarian who isolated it will be able to establish the cause of death.

-The dog, bitten by a rabid animal, the disease manifests itself after an incubation period of 12-15 days, sometimes a month or more. During this time, the disease is in the closed form and can not be transmitted. Dog becomes contagious only in the last 1 0 days, when the virus comes into the saliva.

-If you are bitten by a dog, which then ran away, you need to undergo treatment against rabies.

-Vaccination against rabies provides confidence that the dog does not get sick, and limit the spread of the disease, which completely disappeared in some countries.

Echinococcus - a parasitic worm that passes from sheep to a dog and a man. The larva can cause tumor formation. In Italy the disease spread to Sicily, Sardinia, Calabria, on the Tuscan plain, that is, in the regions where they grow small livestock.

Dog sick by eating raw viscera of sheep. It is easy to prevent infection of dogs: it is enough to give them something to eat only cooked meat, and in any case does not offer raw viscera (especially the liver) of animals slaughtered without veterinary examination.

A person can become infected by a dog through the feces, so if the owner should touch them, they should wash their hands thoroughly.

Vaccinations. On the 50th day of life the puppy make the first injection of the vaccine against distemper, parvovirus and infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis first dose of vaccine is administered at the 80th day.

Leptospirosis - a serious illness, transmitted by rodents through their urine; dog can get sick by eating contaminated water.

Parvovirus - a rare disease, it is very difficult and often ends in death. It manifests as heart disease or enteritis in puppies, and as a typical enteritis with vomiting and diarrhea in adult dogs. Repetition of the quadrivalent vaccine against distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and leptospirosis is made after a further 30 days, that is, when the puppy is about 1 00 days. Vaccination against rabies is on the 6th month of life. Subsequently, every year should be carried repeat all vaccinations. Only vaccinated dog may be taken abroad, an exhibition at the event.