Dog Care: Qualities Of A Healthy Dog

Jun 16

SriparnaDog Care , , 2 Comments

The word “health” encompasses quite a few areas of your dog’s life. While he may be healthy in one area, he may suffer in another. When considering your dog’s overall wellness level, examine the following:

  • Eyes, Ears, and Nose
  • Oral Health
  • Stamina, Weight and Eating Habits
  • Coat
  • Temperature and Heartbeat Patterns
  • Emotional and Mental Health

A deficiency in one of these areas can cause problems later on in any of the other areas. Therefore, no one factor outweighs the other in importance. While regular checkups with your dog’s vet are a must, there are steps you can take to help maintain your pet’s health between visits.

Inspect the Eyes, Ears and Nose Regularly

Signs of poor eye and ear health in dogs are very easy to detect. Eyes may have a clear discharge in small amounts from time to time, however this is normal. Abnormal eye characteristics include yellow discharge, inflammation, swelling, or excessive watering. To avoid eye infections, keep foreign items, such as stray eyelashes, dust, and normal discharge away from the inner eye by removing daily with a moist cotton ball. These basic criteria also apply to the ears. Simply check the ears at least once a week for redness, swelling, or excessive wax. Clean them often by wiping down just the outside area (never the inside) with warm water or mineral oil.

You may also wish to trim excess hair that is inside of the ear to clear the hearing passage. Do so with a small pair of trimming scissors, being careful to keep your dog calm during the process. Contrary to what most dog owners believe, a wet nose on a dog does not necessarily mean that he is healthy. On that note, a dry nose is not automatically a cause for alarm either. However, if you notice that your pet’s nose is dry most of the time, you may wish to contact his vet. A better indication of your dog’s nasal health is the color and texture of the mucous membrane. If the mucous coming from your dog’s nose is anything other than clear and relatively light (colored, thick, bubbly, etc), contact your veterinarian for further instructions. This may be a sign of infection.