Preventive Maintenance
We know that some deadly diseases can be prevented. Dogs should have a series of vaccinations early in life and these should be repeated every year. In addition, controlling parasites is a lifelong event. Parasite treatment will protect the health of both your dog and the people around him.
Dog Vaccination Schedule: Which and When?
Severe canine diseases such as rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus (bloody diarrhea) and leptospirosis can be prevented if you follow the canine vaccination schedule. These five diseases are extremely dangerous and deadly. Some (rabies and leptospirosis) are also dangerous to humans.
There is also a vaccine against cough, a disease that usually affects young dogs. While not fatal, cough is quite stressful and can pave the way for other serious illnesses.
It should start when a puppy is eight to nine weeks old. Over a period of several weeks, the dog should be given a series of vaccinations so that it can build up immunity to diseases. It must be renewed every year to provide lifelong protection. Especially the first vaccinations in the puppyhood are very important and the next vaccination should be noted exactly and followed by time strictly. The important thing here is that the puppy does not play with other dogs in the park or in the garden until the vaccination is finished and it gains full immunity.
Internal Parasites
Heartworm : With the bite of a worm-bearing mosquito, young heartworms enter the dog’s blood circulation system and develop together with the dog’s heart until they reach a length of 13-30 cm. Dogs with heartworm can be treated with medication, but preventive care is a much more effective method. There are 2 things you can do: protect your dog from mosquitoes and regularly give him heartworm preventive medicine, available from your veterinarian. However, your veterinarian will want to do a blood test to find out if your dog has heartworm.
Hookworms : Hookworms are more common in puppies, but dogs of any age can be severely infected. Dogs can get hookworms by ingesting the larvae of the parasite, or the larvae burrow into the dog’s skin. Puppies can acquire hookworms from their mothers before they are born or while they are suckling. Dogs that are already sick and weak are an easy target and can lead to death if precautions are not taken.
The eggs of the parasite can be seen under a microscope in a fresh stool sample. Treatment is routine, but you can protect your dog from hookworms by keeping his environment clean. Regularly remove feces from the area, keeping the grass as dry and short as possible.
Small Intestine Pinworms and Worms : Pinworms or ascarids are very common in puppies. Most puppies will show no symptoms, but they can scatter millions of eggs that can infect other dogs and children. The bristle worms are white, hard, slender and round also like spaghetti in appearance and grow to about 6 cm, often rounded like a bow. Adult dogs may be immune to pinworms and show no symptoms. Your veterinarian will prescribe medication for this, but to prevent it, cleaning as described for hookworms is recommended.
Tapeworms : These parasites can appear in the hair around the dog’s anus, in his bedding, or in his feces. While alive, anal parasites are off-white, flat, and rock back and forth. When they dry, they turn yellow, become transparent and resemble a grain of rice. A dog infected with anal parasites may lose weight and occasionally have diarrhea. If you think your dog has anus parasites, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Large Intestinal Worm : Large intestinal worms live in the lower parts of the dog’s digestive tract. Some dogs show no symptoms, so your veterinarian should make the diagnosis by checking their stool. Other dogs may show occasional diarrhoea, anemia, weight loss, weakness and a general deterioration in health. Medication is essential for treatment. Since dogs get large intestinal worms by sniffing and licking their surroundings, as mentioned above, the area where the dog lives should be kept clean.
If you suspect that the dog has worms, hookworms, pinworms, anal parasites or large intestinal worms, one or two stool samples should be examined under a microscope to determine the type and extent of the problem, and thus find the most effective treatment. Never treat worms alone: one wrong treatment can harm the dog as much as the worms themselves. First of all, your veterinarian has to determine if the problem is really caused by worms, and if so what type; He should also assess the dog’s general physical condition to determine the correct amount and amount of medication to be given before starting worm treatment. In fact, examining your dog’s stool for parasite eggs should form part of the dog’s annual physical examination.
