Taking care of a small puppy, you took the task of caring for his health. Therefore, you must perform all the necessary tests on your four-legged friend from puppyhood. That will allow you to be sure that your dog’s health is under constant control.
Many canine diseases can be detected when a dog is still a puppy. A quick diagnosis allows you to save your dog’s health and even life in many cases. When your pooch is still a puppy, be sure to perform a blood test, abdominal ultrasound, X-ray of the spine and joints, and auscultation of his heart.
What you will learn from this article:
- It would help if you did several tests while your dog is still a puppy
- Early detection of the disease increases the chances of his cure
- Perform a morphology, x-ray and ultrasound of your dog
Research for a puppy
Caring for a pet is a huge responsibility. In addition to having fun together and having a good time, you also have a lot of responsibilities. First, you must take care of your pet’s health as a dog sitter.
Taking care of a puppy, you must not only prepare a layette for him and teach him basic commands. The dog’s health in the first months of his life requires constant observation and standard control, especially if your dog may be at risk of diseases typical of his breed.
Therefore, performing all the most crucial tests for the puppy is very important. Even if you first think everything is fine, it does not mean you should give up on them. Unfortunately, you can notice many irregularities without specialist knowledge.
Why you should examine your puppy
I think that for every dog guardian, his pet’s health is essential. As you probably know, preventing the disease is better than curing it. The sooner a veterinarian can spot abnormalities in the dog’s health, the faster you can take a specific action.
Some breeds of dogs have common, recurring diseases. If your pet is at high risk of a particular illness, you should focus on controlling it from the first months of your dog’s life. In this way, in many cases, you can delay or even reverse the development of the disease.
Performing regular examinations helps to control not only the health of the dog but also his motor skills. Some dog breeds have joint problems that need to be constantly monitored.
I’m sure your puppy’s health is essential to you. That’s why you want to take care of him as best. If you want to find out what the first days with a puppy at home look like, I refer you to my other post, which you can find HERE.
The most crucial puppy research
Before you perform all the necessary tests on your puppy, it is essential to prepare him properly. Remember that everything your little dog is dealing with now is entirely new to him. So try not to overstimulate it.
When arranging your four-legged friend for tests, try not to take them simultaneously. If possible, set the dates of visits so that the canine has some time between them to recover from this certainly exciting event.
Blood tests
The basis of knowledge about the state of health is to perform a blood test. Thanks to it, you can learn about many important issues regarding the health of your four-legged friend.
During the dog’s blood test, you get, among other things, information about possible deficiencies in his body. That is especially important in the case of a puppy because his body is in a phase of intensive growth right now. Therefore, even if you take great care of his diet, there is a possibility that he may be deficient in specific vitamins or minerals.
By performing a blood test on your dog, you also get information about whether your dog has anaemia or inflammation. That is a type of examination that is especially important if your dog has been in contact with a tick bite. These parasites can carry all kinds of diseases. Some of them can be checked by performing morphologies in the dog.
A blood test is essential in checking your puppy’s health. That is where you should start in the first place.
X-ray
Another puppy examination you must remember is an X-ray of the spine, joints and chest. Puppies are rapidly growing, so their bones are incredibly fragile.
Moreover, some breeds of dogs are very susceptible to diseases related to the joints. Among them, we find, among others, Labradors. In the case of this type of dog, it is also worth taking x-rays of elbows, knees and shoulders.
If you detect joint irregularities at such an early stage of a dog’s life, you can take effective action to prevent or even reverse this process. That is of great importance for the dog’s body, which will be especially visible when the dog enters the age of a senior dog.
Auscultation of the heart
The heart is one of the essential organs in the body, both for our dogs and us. Therefore, checking if everything is okay with him constantly is necessary.
Detecting a congenital heart defect in a small puppy allows you to take appropriate steps as soon as possible. Your dog can live with many abnormalities if adequately taken care of.
Heart disease directly affects a dog’s life. Unfortunately, your four-legged friend will have to give up many things. However, thanks to this, he can live in old age. That is why it is essential to perform the first heart examination of the dog in his puppy period.
Abdominal ultrasound
Many canine diseases are not visible to the naked eye. We observe his adverse effects only when the disease develops and gains momentum. That’s why it’s a good idea to do an abdominal ultrasound while your four-legged friend is still a puppy.
What is checked during such an examination? First, your dog’s internal organs. During the ultrasound, the vet will fit your dog’s kidneys, liver, stomach, and intestines, among other things.
Abdominal ultrasound is not painful for your dog in any way, so you don’t have to worry about anything. However, it can save his life or health in many situations. Therefore, it is worth performing this test when your four-legged friend is still a puppy.
The condition of the teeth
If something is wrong with your puppy’s mouth, it’s a good idea to take him to the vet for a check-up. A dog’s milk teeth are often treated leniently, which is a big mistake.
Breakage of even a milk dog tooth causes inflammation. If you want to learn more about milk teeth in your four-legged friend, I refer you to my other post, which you can find HERE.
A dog’s teeth are essential. They should be taken care of, even when it comes to milk teeth in a dog. They also require regular cleaning and hygiene.
Puppy research
Early diagnosis of a given disease, in many cases, can save the health and even the life of your four-legged friend. Caring for the dog’s health is our primary task as dog guardians.
In the case of some breeds of dogs, the basis for caring for their joints or spine is regular examinations, starting from the period when the pet is still a tiny dog. When taking care of a canine of a specific breed, please find out the particular diseases for his group.
With this knowledge, try to control the situation and do all the research related to these diseases. You are starting from the moment when your four-legged friend is still a tiny puppy.
Performing regular examinations of my dog allows me to sleep peacefully. I know that I know his condition, and if necessary, I will be able to take appropriate steps to help him as soon as possible.
And you, what examination did you perform on your pet when he was still in his puppy period? I’m curious about your answer. Write it to me by posting a comment below.
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it in the comments section.
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