We think of our dogs like our babies or just another member of the family. This means that they need many of the same things we do. However, it is easy to overlook or forget to do some things for our dogs.
When you find out four of the biggest health mistakes you may be making as a dog parent, you'll be stunned!
Ignoring Dental Health
This may be the single most important but overlooked health routine for your dog—caring for his teeth!
Roughly 85% of dogs will develop dental disease in their lifetime, most before they are three years old. Dental disease can be debilitating, even deadly as bacteria in the gums gets into the bloodstream.
Founder of the Pet Wellness Academy, Dr. Katie Kangas, practices both traditional and holistic veterinary medicine. She explains, “oral health is more than just gum disease. Regular dental exams will reveal other significant oral health problems such as fractured teeth, oral cancer, and tooth decay. These are best treated when addressed as early as possible.”
Not Controlling Fleas
Many pet parents mistakingly think there is a “flea season,” but that depends on where you live—your dog needs flea preventatives year-round if you live in dry, humid climates.
It’s surprising, considering how easily preventable fleas are—as easy as giving your dog a chewy tablet or squirting liquid on his scruff—yet many pet parents opt to skip this important treatment.
“Many pets have flea allergies, so oftentimes even just a few fleas can present huge problems,” Dr. Kangas explains.
“We may only need to manage pets with conventional flea medicines for part of the year, like summer and fall,” Dr. Kangas says. “We may be able to use more natural means of flea control in the remaining months of the year.”
Not Properly Grooming Your Pet
Proper grooming is essential to keeping your dog healthy.
Grooming needs can vary greatly depending on the breed of dog and even individual pets.
“Depending on the dog’s specific type of hair coat and environment, dogs may require bathing and clipping more frequently than others,” Dr. Kangas explains. “Many long-haired dogs are much more comfortable in the summer months with a grooming clip.”
Dr. Kangas recommends bathing your dog once or twice month, depending on how dirty your dog gets and if they have skin issues. Don’t worry about over-bathing your pet.
“That is a well-believed myth,” Dr. Kangas says. “A bath is a very underutilized tool for managing skin health. With the quality of the shampoos available now, the vast majority of dogs will do better when bathed frequently, especially if they have allergies and skin problems.”
Skimping on Quality of Food
It turns out quality of food is so important, it could save your dog’s life.
“Some people may think that’s a far-fetched claim, but with my experience seeing what just changing a diet can do for a patient, I say absolutely it can save lives,” Dr. Kangas says. “Nutrition does make a huge difference for health.”
The problem with many household-name kibbles is two-fold: the quality of the ingredients and the manufacturing process. Low-quality meat like so-called 4D meat (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) is legally allowed to be used in kibble and high-heat processing strips the food of most nutrients and bioavailability of the nutrients.
Our dogs need regular check-ups and medications just like people do. One of the things that dog parents forget about is making sure their dog's teeth are clean and healthy. If they aren't, it can cause many problems.
It is also important to give them medicine to prevent fleas and to make sure they are given a bath and groomed regularly.
Finally, it is vital to their health that they eat a good quality food. If you remember not to forget about these big health needs, your dog will be much happier and healthier for as long as they can be.
To find out more about big health problems dog parents may overlook, you can visit Rover.
