For all pet owners, regular monitoring
and examinations
of your pet will
give you a better idea
of the animals overall health
and prove as good quality time
for both you
and your pet. Also, this
may help you catch a problem
in the early phases and certainly before
it becomes life threatening. The list
of things you can do during this time could be long but below weve
taken the time
to list a few
of the
most basic and easy
to read signs of
being off color.
In addition
to the usual,
these steps may help you
in deciding your
pets actual state of health.
CHECK YOUR PET FOR:
1) Build up in the tooth area. Also bad breath- which may
suggest gingivitis or
other tooth/gum problems.
2) Clean ears. Is there
wax build up, ticks, mites or other parasites inside? Is a bad odor present?
3) Are the eyes discolored or irritated? Is extensive matter present?
4)
A greasy coat? Is the skin grey white or red and irritated? Do you find evidence of fleas or other parasites? Is the smell of the animals coat
on your hands, after checking it
with your fingers, fishy, rank or offensive?
A doggy odor,
while common,
is still a sign of a low level of health. If your answers to many of the
above areas are YES, then you should plan some type of action to
discontinue this cycle of bad health.
First and foremost,
diet is the best place to start. Consult with your vet and/or check into possible alternative therapies. In the
end, your pets overall health is up to you, so these early
warning signs should not be overlooked.
A clean
bill of health is the most valuable
gift you can present to your pets- next to your love and attention.
Article written and reprinted with permission of:
http://www.pedigreedpups.com/Purebred Dogs, Puppies and Dog
Breeders - "Your New Best Friend"
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
Debbie Ray, owner of
http://www.pedigreedpups.com and
http://www.total-german-shepherd.com, is a lifelong animal lover and dog enthusiast. Interested in more dog information?
Training and health
tips? Thinking about getting a
purebred dog? Interested in the German Shepherd Dog in particular? Need to
promote your dog related website and get additional in bound links? Check out
pedigreedpups.com , total-german-shepherd.com or
http://www.pedigreeddogs.com (purebred dog breed directory) for more information.