Especially when in youth, we don’t think about preventive care for our dogs. But at any age it is important to keep an eye on your dog’s health in order to be aware of possible illnesses in good time. What is preventive care for dogs? How often do I have to have the dog examined? How much does the check-up cost?
What is preventive care for dogs?
As the name already suggests, it is about prevention, i.e. not letting any major problems arise in the first place. Since our four-legged friends sometimes don’t express pain at all or only at a late stage, it’s your job to keep an eye on your pet’s health.
If you keep an eye on the most important health barometers, you will usually notice quickly if something is wrong. A daily health check will help you to do this. Enter the barometers in the TOBALIE App. Firstly, you have the necessary data from your healthy dog and secondly, you can see immediately if something deviates from the normal values.
You get information about the individual values, what you should pay attention to and what they mean. You will also be given tips if something is not right.
What does preventive care for dogs cover?
A healthy diet and a life that is as species-appropriate as possible. Because happy animals are usually healthier too. Read more about this here. What you can also “control” yourself at home are the excretions, i.e. faeces, urine, etc. Just as important as what comes out is what goes in, so make sure your dog eats normally and drinks normally. Eating and drinking too much or too little can also be an important indicator of illness.
Other things you should always keep an eye on are the teeth (no tartar, no inflammation), the coat and skin (not dull, not flaky, no noticeable spots), the eyes (not watery, not inflamed), the ears (not inflamed, not smelly) and the claws (not too long).
Your dog must be chipped so that it can be traced back to you if it gets lost. Remember to keep your data up to date.
But also the necessary vaccinations, faeces and blood tests and parasite protection are part of the precaution. In some cases, it may be necessary or useful to have an X-ray, ultrasound or similar done. These examinations are done by the veterinarian.
How often should you have your dog checked?
If you notice anything unusual in your self-check, contact a vet for further clarification. If your dog is healthy, it is sufficient to visit the vet once a year for an annual check-up. If the vet finds something wrong, they will discuss with you which further examinations make sense and how often you should come.
How much does a check-up cost?
It depends on what is examined. A complete check-up with blood count, vaccination and examination costs between 250-350 €, depending on which values are examined.
Tip: Regular visits to the vet can save you a lot of money. Because if you wait until seemingly small problems become big, much more usually has to be done to help your dog. Sometimes help comes too late.
If you notice something when entering the daily values in the pet profile, contact a veterinarian sooner rather than later.
Summary
Preventive care for dogs is important in order to recognise problems in time and to be able to treat them optimally. By entering the most important health barometers in the TOBALIE app every day, you have taken the best possible precautions. This way your pet stays fit for a long time.