What foods and care keep my dog healthy and thriving for life?

Yearly vet checks, keeping up with vaccines, take Dakota into the vet whenever he isn't feeling well, keeping up with deworming and flea treatments, administering heart worm medication, and feed a good quality dog food. Also keeping the weight healthy, and regular exercise.

Jack is PRECIOUS!! Choosing a reputable, quality food is a great step. They will have all the vitamins and minerals he needs. But in both people and dogs, one of the biggest factors in longevity is keeping a slim body condition. Keeping Jack slim and fit throughout his life will improve the quality and quantity of life. Routine dental care. Whether you brush several times weekly or have a dental cleaning with your vet every 6-12 months, dental disease is associated with other diseases and shorter life in both people and animals. Routine veterinary care. We don’t just recommend vaccines and senior bloodowork to empty your pocket. An ounce of prevention and early detection of organ dysfunction and other diseases can extend quality and quantity of life significantly. For example, if a senior blood screen shows mild liver or kidney elevations, I can often keep things at that stage with diet changes and supplements. If we wait till the Pet is sick, prognosis is not as good and treatment more costly. As your pet ages and developes any medical conditions, we can help recommend supplements and vitamins at that point. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Jack.

Great question! One thing I would strongly recommend is having Coco spayed. Dog who are intact are prone to developing a pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. It makes dogs very sick. Unfortunately spaying her now won't lower her risk of mammary tumors, but at least it takes away the risk of the pyometra. Feed her a healthy diet, don't give her human foods, and plenty of exercise daily. Keep her up to date on her vaccines, heartworm treatment, flea and tick treatments, and deworming treatments. Finally, have her seen by a vet yearly for a health check, taking her in sooner whenever she is sick. I hope this helps!

As long as your dogs are getting a high quality dog food, you do not need to give them any vitamins. Their food will provide all the vitamins they need. You can give them glucosamine, which is a dietary supplement that helps with joint health. Typically it's given as 20 mg/lb of body weight, and you can find canine glucosamine tablets at the pet store. One of the most important things to do is have yearly vet health checks for them to make sure everything is ok. Be sure to keep up to date with their vaccines, flea treatment, deworming treatments, and heartworm treatments. Also have regular dental cleanings done with the vet. Just like humans, dogs need their teeth cleaned, and severe dental disease can lead to other problems such as liver abscesses and endocarditis from bacteria traveling from the mouth via the bloodstream. I hope this helps!

A good, balanced diet, keeping Oscar at a healthy weight, and routine checkups with your vet (every 6-12 months for a senior pet) are a great way to keep him healthy. Your vet may also recommend a baseline of tests such as bloodwork so that you know what "normal" is in case he gets ill and his values change. Your vet can also recommend any supplements or medications as needed to help treat any underlying conditions.

This is a very good question! It is always wise to be proactive about our pet's health. If you ever have concerns about how your dog is doing then a call and visit to your vet can help to set your mind at ease. Things to watch for that would indicate health problems include vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and energy level, unusual behaviors and limping. Discuss food recommendations with your regular veterinarian. Brands such as Purina, Hills and Royal Canin all have veterinarians on-staff to ensure their food is top quality and nutritionally balanced. If you are feeding a good balanced diet then supplements of vitamins and minerals are not necessary.

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Peanut is very handsome! The most common thing that happens as large breed dogs age is arthritis so I would just put him on a good all around supplement that contains joint supplements in it. I love this supplement by Missing Link. http://www.allivet.com/p-1647-missing-link-vet-canine-plus.aspx Some signs he may have arthritis are: * having a hard time getting up from a down position * not jumping up on the couch, bed, etc like he normally does (if he does that) * slowing down on walks (like he doesn't seem like he can go as far as he used to) Even if he is not showing signs of arthritis I would put him on a joint supplement. The other thing I would recommend is yearly blood testing with your vet to check his organ function. Declining organ function is not something you can see from the outside just by looking at your dog. Usually by the time you do see something abnormal it is often too late to do anything about it. It is better to test yearly so you can catch things early. Peanut looks to be in great shape! You are doing a great job! Hope this answers your questions. Please post again if you have more question. Best wishes.