To be able to provide their pet dogs with not only loving care but also responsible pet care, dog owners in Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Wesley Chapel 33544 and Tampa 33647 should gather extensive knowledge on the health care and training needs of dogs.
While the dogs are still puppies, two of the very first things that their owners should do are crate training and housebreaking. Crate training means teaching a puppy to be comfortable in a secure and enclosed space where it can be placed at night or during the day when it is left at home without human supervision. This is necessary to keep the puppy safe from harm and also to keep the house safe from the puppys natural tendency to explore, scratch and chew objects. Housebreaking, on the other hand, means toilet training for puppies. The puppy should be taught to only go in a specified area whether indoors or outdoors. To train the puppy, the owner should take it to that spot at certain hours.
In terms of health care, the pet owner should ensure that the puppy gets all the required vaccines and other shots on time. As soon as the puppy is born or as soon as the pet owner receives the puppy, a veterinarian should immediately be consulted. The prescribed shots and their schedules should be strictly followed by the pet owner to ensure that the dog is protected from distemper, parvovirus, rabies and heartworm.
Also very dangerous to a dogs health are fleas, ticks and other parasites. These should never be taken for granted. The prevention of infestation or their elimination could best be done in consultation with a veterinarian. This is because there are a lot of commercial repellents for fleas, ticks and other parasites that are toxic to dogs. A veterinarian will know what is safe for your pet.
A veterinarian should also be consulted on the proper time for spaying and neutering for pet dogs. A responsible dog owner who is not a professional breeder should have the pets spayed or neutered to prevent uncontrolled reproduction, overpopulation and the resulting neglect of puppies. A male and female dog can produce more than 4,000 puppies in seven years if left unsupervised. Pet owners who are not breeders will not have the time and resources to care for all those puppies even with the best intentions. Prevention is therefore the best avenue.
For the safety of the dog and of people, as well, a dog should undergo obedience training. This is part of the dog owners responsibilities. Obedience training ensures that the dog behaves properly either indoors or outdoors, such as when brought to the veterinary clinic. It should be able to socialize with other dogs and with other people. It should also know how to obey commands that will keep it away from harm and keep it from harming others.
Finally, it is a major responsibility of the dog owner to identify a trustworthy veterinarian in a reputable full service veterinary clinic or animal hospital in Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Wesley Chapel 33544 and Tampa 33647. Such a veterinary clinic has to provide for emergency medical care along with routine check ups, consultations, medical diagnostics and laboratory analysis. It is best if the animal clinic also does animal surgical procedures and laser surgery. More established animal hospitals would have services for various pet animals such as dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rodents, fish and rabbits.
A dog owner will have more peace of mind if the chosen veterinary clinic also offers pet boarding for those times when the owner has to leave town.
A dog owner in Hillsborough County, Pasco County, Wesley Chapel 33544 and Tampa 33647 who is knowledgeable in all the tips mentioned above will surely give the best pet care.
