Caring for a pet involves more than proper feeding and the odd flea bath.  To really care for your pet you need to provide the best health care, and that means being able to spot the warning signs for illness and disease.

It's important that you educate yourself on the proper care of dogs, before you bring your new best friend home.  The main areas that you must focus on are how to recognize signs of potential health problems, and how to provide preventative care.

Preventative medicine is paramount in effective health care.  Just like children, puppies need to see a health care specialist on a regular basis.  At six weeks of age, your puppy should begin a series of four DHLPP/CCV vaccinations.  These shots are administered at three- to four-week intervals.  Your puppy also needs to be de-wormed often, and should begin receiving heartworm preventative medication at four months old.  Heartworm prevention is an ongoing necessity that's vital to providing your dog with a long and happy life.  After the initial puppy care, your dog should visit the veterinarian once a year.  The annual checkup will involve an examination of your pet's teeth and stool, administration of vaccinations, and a general examination to rule out any obvious maladies.

By keeping up on preventative medicine needs, you will be helping to ensure your dog's health. But it's also essential that you are able to watch for signs of potential health troubles.

Dogs often experience skin problems, and can present their conditions in various ways.  Skin allergies, common to many breeds of dogs, can cause hair loss and 'hot spots'.  Hot spots are sores that appear on the surface of the skin.  These sores will ooze and they are very painful.  The dog will deal with the discomfort by constantly licking at the area, making the problem even more difficult to treat.  The skin allergies that cause 'hot spots' are often mistaken for flea infestation problems, so you need to know the signs and symptoms to make the right diagnoses.  A dog that scratches his neck, head and front legs will generally be suffering from skin allergies, while chewing at the top of the rump is a good indication that fleas are present.

Signs of some health problems will present themselves in the dog's stool.  If the stool is runny or discoloured, your pet should probably see the vet.  Although it could be as simple as a change in diet, these types of stools can be indicative of parasites.  Both of these conditions are easily remedied.  Less common but very serious is a condition called gastric dilatation volvulus, a condition that can occur if a dog exerts himself after consuming a large amount of water.  Gastric dilation volvulus generally appears in large, deep chested breeds of dogs.

Like any member of your family, your dog's health is extremely important.  While caring for your pet can be a big responsibility, it isn't necessarily a difficult one.  Take your pet for an annual checkup and know the warning signs of potential illness.  By covering the healthcare bases, you will provide your best friend with a long, happy and healthy life.