You've got a dog right? And I guess you love your dog like I love mine, but have you thought about having annual checkups for your dog? You know that it is important, don't you? I have decided to write this article because of how important this is and because of the current situation whereby pet owners do not take their pets for regular checkups. In fact, a lot of dog owners take their dogs to the vet's only do so when the dog is sick.
You may want to know what an annual checkup for your dog really is. Annual checkups for your dog simply refers to a situation whereby you have planned visits to the veterinarian every year to check for the health and well-being of your dog. Annual checkups for your dog are how vets diagnose what is wrong with your pet.
Despite the fact that a number of studies have shown that annual checkups are important for dogs, including your dear Fido, not many dog owners take their dogs for annual checkups.
You should take your dogs for checkups regularly. But how regular and how much you take your dogs for checkups would depend on a number of factors; such as the age of the dog. As a living thing and an animal, dogs grow rapidly after they are born.
For example, your puppies, when they are born would require more regular health checkups. That is to say that if your dog is less than a year old you should visit the vet for a checkup more regularly for their vaccinations and to also check out that they are growing well.
However, as your dog crosses the first year, the visits to the doctor are expected to reduce. Now, this is where having annual checkups starts to become important. For dogs between the ages of 2 to 5 years, having annual checkups are important. You can also discuss with the doctor if biannual checks would be required.
During the checkup, the vet begins by asking some important questions and performing some basic tests such as urine and blood tests. The veterinarian also checks the limbs and ears. For the eyes the vet checks for such things as swelling and redness.
We shall now list 5 reasons why a dog should be checked up annually.
To Identify Problems Early
Getting an annual checkup for your dog is very important because it helps to identify any problems with the dog early so that the appropriate medications and vaccines can be administered. As you start early to take your puppy to the vet's office, any disease that attacks your puppy would be identified early and treatment given.
If you take the dog for annual checkups it will help to identify early if the dog has any form of kidney abnormalities or cancer, which have been proven to kill at least 10 percent of dogs.
Annual Checkups For Your Dog Saves You Money
You may ask me how this is possible, especially when a visit to a vet is not free. Well, you may not see the impact of this is in the short term but in the long term having annual checkups for your dog will save you money.
This is because if it happens that your dog becomes infected with any diseases, during the early stages of treatment, the cost is usually cheaper when compared to what the cost would have been if the disease was discovered later. If you do not take your dog for annual checkups to identify sicknesses and diseases early, so as to get treatment for your dog at a minimal cost, the next alternative is emergency treatment and this is usually expensive.
It Is Good For Your Education
Having annual checkups for your dog is good for your education about the health conditions of dogs and how to care for dogs generally. This is especially important because as your dog ages and grows, different health conditions can come up and a certain level of knowledge would be required - something that you have been able to acquire through your regular visits, interactions and consultation with a veterinary doctor.
It will also give you the opportunity to get educated on the latest trend and development in the care of dogs to ensure that your dog attains full wellness. Having annual checkups for your dog will help you to get educated on medication and food for dogs generally at every stage of their development and growth.
Helps To Ensure Wellness Of Your Dog
Having annual checkups for your dog helps to ensure the general wellness of your dog. This is particularly important because of the different stages of growth of your dog would require different levels of care and attention.
It will help to attain complete wellness for your dog also because as most people, including my two friends Kate and Charles who work at Forex Broker and owns an art studio respectively, you are most likely not a health professional, so regular annual checkups for your dog will ensure the dog's general wellness.
Get Regular Vaccinations
With annual checkups for your dog, your dog gets regular vaccinations to prevent disease outbreaks that might harm or kill other dogs.
The vaccinations which your dog would receive as a result of the annual checkups it gets would also prevent the dog from coming down with infections from the environment.
Conclusion
You can now see that the benefits of annual checkups for your dog far outweigh whatever impediment you can consider. Annual checkups for your dog can save you money and also help to ensure that your dog gets vaccinations. If you have not been doing this, you now have 5 reasons to ensure that your dog gets annual checkups.
